Buck Naked Politics

Protect Your Wallet: Support the Re-Appointment of Skop & Argenziano to the PSC

Why should you care about appointments to Florida's Public Service Commission (PSC)?  Because who gets appointed will directly affect your wallet for years to come (if you live in Florida, that is).

The PSC is charged with protecting consumers from unreasonable prices and bad service from the utility companies that we depend on.

As I've blogged about repeatedly over the past two years, most members of the PSC have been suspiciously cozy with the utility industry--an industry whose interests are sort of at odds with the interests of us consumers. 

The two welcome exceptions are consumer-friendly Commissioners Nancy Argenziano and Nathan Skop, whom Gov. Charlie Crist appointed in 2007.

Not only have Argenziano and Skop actively sought to protect consumers' interests, but they also made a point of spotlighting ethically questionable things that have been going on at the PSC over the past few years.  (Examples are linked at the end of this post.)

Unfortunately,  Argenziano's and Skop's terms are almost up.  Both commissioners are seeking reappointment by Gov. Crist.

All sorts of people who pay attention to the PSC support the re-appointment of Argenziano and Skop--precisely because they've proven to be pro-consumer and anti-corruption.  

Here's part of the Miami Herald's endorsement:

'Climate-Gate?' Oh, I Wish...

by Bill Kavanagh: As Brad DeLong is fond of saying, "Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?"

It's pretty disheartening, just as President Obama has announced he'll be going to the Copenhagen Climate Conference at its closing (implying a possible deal to announce on carbon emission reductions) to see that the WaPo is instead playing up the ridiculous 'Climategate' story so prominently. It's a great distraction for those who'd rather bury their heads in the sand than deal with the reality of climate change, but a real disservice to readers who by now should have little doubt of the severity of the crisis we are into.

I remember when the Post was a beacon for press freedom and independence. Do you?

(Bill cross-posts at Bill's Big Diamond .)

Energy Jobs for a Renewable Economic Future

posted by Bill: Check out what Stan Ovshinsky is doing in Detroit to create energy jobs for an American economic and environmental renewal. You won't hear about his work on the evening news, but Bob Herbert writes about him today in his column.

Jon Stewart: GOP Opposes Even the Dems' Limp Cap-and-Trade Bill

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Carbon Copout
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Apple Leaves U.S. Chamber over Climate Issues

A New York Times blog reports:

"Apple has become the latest company to resign from the United States Chamber of Commerce over climate policy.

“'We strongly object to the chamber’s recent comments opposing the E.P.A.’s effort to limit greenhouse gases,' wrote Catherine A. Novelli, the vice president of worldwide government affairs at Apple, in a letter dated today and addressed to Thomas J. Donohue, president and chief executive of the chamber. Click here to read the letter.

“'Apple supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and it is frustrating to find the chamber at odds with us in this effort,' Ms. Novelli continued."

Well done, Apple.  See the rest of the story here.

Two Florida Utility Regulators to be Replaced

by Deb Cupples |   Two Public Service Commission (PSC) members will not be returning to the PSC come January 2010.  A St. Pete Times blog reports:

"In a move designed to reshape the embattled Public Service Commission, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday named a former newspaper editorial board member and a former finance director for the Escambia County sheriff to the utility regulators' panel, ousting two incumbents.

"Crist appointed David Klement, formerly of the Bradenton Herald, and Benjamin "Steve" Stevens, former chief financial officer for the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, to serve on the five-member panel. He rejected two commissioners originally appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush who were seeking new, four-year terms: Chairman Matthew Carter and Katrina McMurrian."

Kudos to Governor Crist!  Two of the five commissioners were appointed by Crist and stood out for being consumer-friendly: Nancy Argenziano and Nathan Skop.  The other three were originally appointed by notoriously-industry-friendly Jeb Bush.  In a move that baffled consumer activists, Gov. Crist did reappoint one of the Jeb Bush holdovers: Lisa Edgar.

No matter:  combining Crist's two new picks with Argenizano and Skop may result in a solid majority of consumer-friendly commissioners on the PSC.

Note that Progress Energy and Florida Power and Light (FPL) each have asked the PSC to allow those companies to raise their rates by about 30%.  Governor Crist wants the PSC to deny the rate-hike requests, given the poor economy that Florida consumers face.

Fla. Governor Opposes FPL's Rate Hike; PSC Commissioner Refuses to Recuse Herself from Rate Case

Florida's Public Service Commission (PSC) is not faring well under the glare of sunshine.  The PSC is supposed to protect Florida's consumers from utility companies' monopolistic desire to give rate payers the shaft.

In late August, a key PSC staffer was removed from all pending cases involving Florida Power and Light (FPL), after the staffer had admitted to going to a Kentucky Derby party at the home of an FPL exec.  Yes, the words "fox," "hen," and "house" do come to mind.

After a couple weeks of pressure and public outrage, that staffer finally resigned.

No, the hen house had not been cleaned out.  One of the actual PSC commissioners, Katrina McMurrian, was found to have socialized with executives from the same utility that the PSC (and Ms. McMurrian) are supposed to regulate for the benefit of us consumers. 

Only yesterday, Ms. McMurrian refused to recuse herself from the case in which FPL is asking the PSC for permission to raise its rates 31%.

Florida Consumers Face 31% Rate Hike While Regulators Party with Utility Execs; PSC Staffer Removed from Cases

by Deb Cupples |  Ryder Rudd, a top staffer at Florida's Public Service Commission (which regulates utility companies) was removed from all cases involving Florida Power and Light (the state's largest utility) until after an ethics investigation. 

Why?  Apparently, Mr. Rudd openly bragged that he and his wife had gone to a swank party a few months ago at the home of Florida Power and Light (FPL) executive Ed Tancer.

Despite our nation's shaky economy, FPL has been fighting to hit South Florida consumers with a 31% rate hike, which requires PSC approval.

PSC Commissioner Nathan Skop raised the issue of Mr. Rudd's questionable socializing at yesterday's hearing.  Skop commented: 

"Such inexcusable conduct undermines the public trust and confidence in the regulatory process and impugns the integrity of this commission....  These are not allegations, but admissions by this employee." [Orlando Sentinel]

Yes, it does undermine the public's confidence when regulatory staff gets chummy with the very people whom they are paid (by us taxpayers) to regulate.  

This reminds me of ex-President Bush's Interior Department scandal last year, when we learned that staffers accepted gifts from and "partied" (had sex, drank, took cocaine) with oil company execs.  The Interior Department regulates some aspects of the oil industry.

This is not the first time such potential conflicts of interest have been raised at Florida's PSC.

Did Bush Seek to Keep Evidence of Global Warming Secret?

by Deb Cupples |  I like reading foreign newspapers' take on American politics.  Via Memeorandum, the Guardian UK reports:

"Graphic images that reveal the devastating impact of global warming in the Arctic have been released by the US military. The photographs, taken by spy satellites over the past decade, confirm that in recent years vast areas in high latitudes have lost their ice cover in summer months.

"The pictures, kept secret by Washington during the presidency of George W Bush, were declassified by the White House last week."

The big question is this: why would the Bush Administration even seek to keep such photos secret?  It's not as though people plotting to stage a homeland attack on the U.S. would establish a base camp in the Arctic circle -- at least not people with brains enough to successfully pull off such an attack.

So, why would our ex-President deprive the American people of what were -- at the very least --  cool pics paid for with our considerable tax dollars?

Britain Unveils New Lightweight Emissions-Free Hydrogen Powered Car

by Teh Nutroots | At last, the 21st Century!--at least in Britain.  Check out the photo of this bad boy.  The Daily Mail reports:

The two-seater Riversimple Urban Car is able to travel 240 miles without refuelling and weighs just 772lb or 55st. It could be put into production as soon as 2013. A spokesman said they expected it to achieve 300miles to the gallon (Daily Mail).

Of course, the 21st Century might move a bit slower than you were probably imagining back when you used to watch The Jetsons.  The present version can reach speeds of "up to 50 mph."  (Daily Mail)  On the other hand:  the cars are expected to have a 20 year lifespan.(Daily Mail)  But....erm: hydrogen?  How does that work? Won't...explosions be a problem? 

I guess not:

Conflicts of Interest at Florida's Public Service Commission?

by Deb Cupples | Florida's Public Service Commission is supposed to protect us consumers and keep utility companies in check -- not the other way around.  Unfortunately, some members of the PSC seem awfully chummy with the very utility company folks that the PSC is supposed to regulate.  The Buzz (a St. Pete Times blog) reports:

"[S]elf-described Public Service Commission investigator Steve Stewart reports that PSC Commissioner Katrina McMurrian has repeatedly raised conflict of interest questions with her attendance at both utility-sponsored events and private dinners. Both events were closed to the public and officials from the utility companies she regulates were in attendance. Take a look.

"We can't vouch for the balance of the report -- there is no obvious response from McMurrian -- but it's clear Stewart has solid documents and his timeline raises serious questions about McMurrian's judgment that the commissioner should answer."

Ms. McMurrian is one of three commissioners appointed to the five-member PSC by industry-friendly ex-governor Jeb Bush (yes, brother of our nation's industry-friendly ex-president George Bush).

In 2007, Florida Governor Charlie Crist appointed two consumer-friendly commissioners to the PSC: former state senator Nancy Argenziano and lawyer-engineer Nathan Skop.

Jon Stewart: "Auto-Neurotic Gas Fixation"

by Damozel |  Fuel efficiency, or the lives of your family? Which is it going to be, America?  GOPpers want to know:  Don't we Americans have the right anymore to drive a gas hawg?  Meanwhile, Obama turns a simple speech on energy into the Gettysburg address!  After the jump....

Global Warming Gestapo! Feeeeeear the Cap & Trade!

Watch Waxman settle this GOPper's hash...

News Round-Up: EPA Finds "Compelling and Overwhelming" Evidence that Warming Gases Threaten Public Health and Welfare

by Damozel |   Climate Progress calls it "a landmark finding for America and humanity" The New York Times reports:

The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming. The E.P.A. said the science supporting its so-called endangerment finding was “compelling and overwhelming.”...

And the Heat Goes On: Responses to George Will's Climate Change Misstatements (& WaPo's Passive-Aggressive Response)

by Damozel | After one erroneous outburst in The Washington Post against "Dark Green Doomsayers", George Will has written yet another column.  In case you were wondering, there's still no correction in sight.

I didn't bother about Will's initial global warming denial column, mostly for the reasons which emptywheel cites for staying out of the initial controversy:  "There was not much way I could improve on ThinkProgress' and Media Matters' multi-part response to Will."  But the response to the response interests me strangely.

Isabel Macdonald at HuffPost observes:  "The ongoing controversy...offers a good case study in the impunity of the punditocracy."

Obama Begins Chipping Away at Bush Administration's Environmental Policies

by Damozel |  You can't say Obama has hit the ground running on redeeming his campaign promises. The New York Times reports:

President Obama directed federal regulators on Monday to move swiftly on an application by California and 13 other states to set strict limits on greenhouse gases from cars and trucks. (via Memeorandum)

The "'Clean' Coal Carolers" Gots Some Explaining to Do: Big Toxic Mess in Tennessee Is Much Worse than Previously Believed (Includes Video)

by Damozel | According to CNN,  the current estimate of gallons of ash-infused slurry containing "concentrated levels of mercury and arsenic" at present stands at  1 billions.  At least 300 acres are covered with the poisonous mess, "a bigger area than the Exxon Valdez oil spill."  A TVA spokesman says that they've never had a spill of this magnitude and that they can no longer say how long the clean-up will take.

Video footage showed sludge as high as 6 feet, burying porches and garage doors. The slide also downed nearby power lines, though the TVA said power had been restored to the area. An estimated 78,000 cubic yards, or 15.7 million gallons, of sludge covered local railroad tracks and Swan Pond Road.  (More at CNN)

Hilzoy has posted a most excellent comment on this disaster.  As she says:  THERE IS NO CLEAN COAL.   Clean Coal is an oxymoron.

Obama Picks Nobel Winner as Energy Secretary and Considers Other Key Players in the Global Warming Fight for Key Positions

by Damozel | The implications, The Washington Post suggests, are clear:  "Obama plans to make a strong push for measures to combat global warming and programs to support energy innovation."  (WaPo)  All of his picks and potential selections are tried and tested warriors in the fight against global warming and for green technologies.  

Interesting Idea re: Energy Crisis & Bailouts

by Deb Cupples |   According to CNN, 60% of Americans surveyed are against a taxpayer-funded bailout of the Big 3 automakers.  I'm not sure where I stand. Also, I know very little about the technology required to solve our nation's energy problems. 

Still, I'm intrigued by ideas that a Buck Naked Politics reader brought up in the comments section regarding an auto industry bailout and our energy crisis.  I thought I'd share those comments in this post:

"Fuel efficient cars - most are saying the future is plug in electric cars, which would be fine (I like electric golf carts low noise, no exhaust).

"In any case, my observation is this. Say the Big 3 had been delivering electric cars for past 3 years. LA has brownouts every summer and NY has blackouts and we're assuming suburban power grids can handle the extra load? USA does NOT posses a power grid in which to "FUEL" these cars today. Not in mass scale...."

Obama Gearing Up to Hit the Ground Running on Reversing Toxic Bush Administration Policies

by Damozel | Did you know that George W. Bush is still president?  It's true.  Fortunately--- according to The Washington Post--Obama's team is busily compiling a list of nearly 200 executive orders and Bush administration policies that they can quickly reverse.

Hurray!